The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with Special consultative UN status. The PEC, founded in June 2004 by a group of journalists from several countries, based in Geneva, is an international independent nonprofit and non-governmental organization. It aims at strengthening the legal protection and safety of journalists in zones of conflict and civil unrest or in dangerous missions.

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The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) recommends to contact the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hotline.Journalists on dangerous assignments can contact the closest ICRC office, or call the dedicated 24-hour hotline number +41 79 217 32 85, or send an e-mail message to press@icrc.org, in order to ask for help and advice. Basic information such as the person's name, date of birth and nationality, information about the circumstances surrounding the incident, if available, and the reasons for which assistance is being requested, should be provided. The information will subsequently be passed on to specialized ICRC staff in the field.

Can you explain what the hotline is for? Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC's deputy head of public relations:"The primary purpose of the ICRC hotline is to enable our organization to take prompt and effective action, whenever possible, when journalists or their crew are arrested, captured, detained, reported missing, wounded or killed in areas where the ICRC is conducting humanitarian activities. There is a variety of things the ICRC may be able to do. For example, we may be able to seek confirmation of a reported arrest or capture, and obtain access to detained journalists. Or we may be able to provide information to next of kin and employers or professional associations on the whereabouts of a sought-after journalist whenever such information can be obtained. In some cases, the ICRC can help family members restore or maintain contact with a detained journalist, or it can help evacuate wounded journalists. In worst-case scenarios, it may be able to recover or transfer mortal remains".

The Press Emblem Campaign is a non-profit humanitarian association. Its activities are made possible by the personal commitment of the professional journalists who have volunteered toserve on its board. Membership in the Press Emblem Campaign implies acceptance of the objectives as stated in the statutes of the association (see below). You can also choose to be only a partner of the PEC: in this case, you support an improvement in the conditions of work of journalists and in their safety, without having to agree to the statutes of the PEC. The association is open to all journalists, either as individuals or through their journalists associations, as well as to media organisations, members of governmental and non-governmental organisations in their individual or collective capacities, and to private individuals desirous of supporting our goals.

To know more the Press Emblem Campaign recommends to read: "War on words: who should protect journalists?" Joanne M Lisosky; Jennifer Henrichsen. Santa Barbara, Praeger 2011. "This unprecedented book provides a comprehensive examination of the issue of protecting journalists in conflict situations from both a practical and humanitarian law perspective."

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) is a non-profit associationunder article 60 and the subsequent articles of the Swiss CivilCode; it is governed by the present statutes.

Article 2

The headquarters of the association is in Geneva. Its durationis indefinite.

OBJECTIVES

Article 3

The association has the following objectives:

- to promote the protection of journalists in situations of violence, with a view to strengthening the respect for press freedom and the right of professional journalists to information

- to ensure the promotion and the follow-up of the draft international convention, including if necessary a press emblem, which will include in its legal dispositions in cases of aggression against a journalist in the exercise of hisprofession: an independent enquiry (investigation), legalproceedings against the authors of the aggression, and compensation

- once the convention has been signed by at least onegovernment, to oversee its implementation.

RESOURCES

Article 4

The resources of the association come from membership fees andpublic and private subsidies (grants, contributions). The fundswill be utilised according to the above objectives.

MEMBERS AND ORGANS

Article 5

Membership in the association is open to professionaljournalists and journalists' associations, as groups or in theirindividual capacities, members of non-profit non-governmentalorganisations, as groups or in their individual capacities, and allother individuals wishing to support the objectives of theassociation.

Membership ceases upon death, by written resignation submittedat least one month before the end of the current exercise or byexclusion pronounced by a two-thirds majority of the GeneralMeeting.

Article 6

The organs of the association are:

a) the General Meeting b) the Board

Article 7

The General Meeting shall be held whenever necessary or at the request of one half of its members.

The General Meeting is considered as valid if at least fivemembers are present.

The announcement of such meetings, accompanied by the agenda,shall be sent to all members by the Board at least ten (10) days inadvance.

Article 8

The General Meeting:

a) approves admission or exclusion of members in conformity withthe objectives stated in Article 3 b) elects the members of the Board, composed of a president, a (or more)vice-president, a secretary-general, the members and the presidents of regional sections of the PEC around the world c) takes note of and approves the reports and accounts of thecurrent exercise and elects an auditor

Article 9

The decisions of the General Meeting are taken by a simplemajority of the members present. In case of a tie, the presidentvotes to break the tie.

Decisions concerning changes of the statutes or dissolution ofthe association may only be taken by a two-thirds majority of themembers present.

Members may vote in writing providing they announce theirinability to attend at least two days in advance of the GeneralMeeting.

Article 10

The Board is elected by the General Meeting and is composed of apresident, a (or more) vice-president, a secretary-general, the members and the presidents of regional sections of the PEC around the world up to a maximum of12 members.

The duration of the term of office is two years, renewablewithout limitation.

Article 11

The Board is authorized to undertake all actions in conformitywith the objectives of the association. It has broad managementpowers.

Article 12

The responsibility of the association is engaged by simplesignature of the president and/or vice-president and/or the secretary-general.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Article 13

The fiscal year begins on 1 January and ends on 31 December ofeach year.

The accounts are inspected each year by the auditor elected bythe General Meeting.

Article 14

In the case of dissolution of the association, the GeneralMeeting decides on the distribution of its assets.

Article 15

The present statutes are valid from their adoption by theGeneral Meeting of 2 June 2004 in Geneva.

The PEC was born in 2003 in reaction to the events which took place duringthe Iraq war. Murders and kidnappings of many journalists in that countrywere one of the triggers, as well as the growing number of journalists who are killed, aggressed and harassed and are prevented from doing their work in many parts of the world. Structural factors have also motivated its creation: the proliferation of social actors on the ground, which make their identification more complex; the generalised violation of the protection, which should be the right of civilians in all circumstances; the violation of the rules of the humanitarian law; the multiplication of new media and therefore, of the number of journalists, with problems of credibility and neutrality. Consequence of those factors, the growing difficulties for journalists to move freely, and to bear witness and investigate in different contexts. The profession is challenging obstacles hindering its access to information in many countries, obstacles which prevent it from carrying out its mission of information.

*Who is behind the Press Emblem Campaign?

It is a completely independent non-governmental and non-profit-making organization, created by a group of professional journalists. There is no hidden private or public interest behind it. Its purpose is exclusively humanitarian. Itaims at defending better people working for media, all professions included,and therefore at reinforcing the public’s right to information, which isbuilt on journalists’ freedom of movement and investigation. Although it is basedin Geneva, the capital of the humanitarian law, it is not exclusively aSwiss organization: the members on its board belong to several nationalities,from northern as well as southern countries. The PEC is politically andreligiously entirely neutral.

*Does the PEC duplicate with Reporters without borders, journalists associations, the International Federation of Journalists or the ICRC?

The PEC is a network of journalist's associations and a humanitarian organization, not a syndicate or an association defending a profession, as the IFJ. The PEC is not in charge of negotiating journalists’ salary conditions with employers. It is not in charge of the dialogue with the publishers or of conditions of work in the offices. Unlike Reporters without Borders and other organizations which defend freedom of expression, the PEC is a network of journalists who are fighting for a legally binding treaty specifically to protect journalists in conflict zones. It has a complementary role. It is used as a platform for coordination between the concerned organizations in order to improve the protection of journalists all around the world. The publishers and employers might also be interested in a better protection of their employees in cooperation with many insurance companies. International pressure is useful. Acts of solidarity by journalist's organisations are an effective antidote to persecution of reporters. We are strong when we act collectively. Journalists who campaign together, despite political, ethnic, regional differences, can construct a "shield of solidarity". The International Committee of the Red Cross is the guardian of international humanitarian law. But it is not mandated to defend journalists as distinct from other civilians. This is the reason why it is necessary to create an independent organization of journalists and to elaborate a Convention for the journalists.

*Wouldn't the elaboration of an international Convention with the governments open up a Pandora'box and allow some of the governments to interfere with the freedom of the press?

On the one hand, the journalists' organizations will closely control the processof negotiation and will actively take part in it. They will seek to prevent the introduction of political elements into an exclusively humanitarian Convention.If States want to introduce articles which might undermine the profession,the democratic States will have to prevent them. In the first stage, itis not necessary for the Convention to be universally accepted. Only thegovernments which agree with it will sign it. It is however necessary to go through the governments because they are the only ones liable for the maintenance of law and order on their territory.

*The current law is satisfactory. There is no need of a new Convention.

International humanitarian law assimilates journalists with civilians.It is therefore forbidden to kill them or to attack them, as any other civilians.To kill a journalist in a zone of conflict is already a war crime, an attack onfundamental human rights.

But journalists have a particular mission. They have to take risks to report a situation by going to dangerous places, on behalf of people’s right to information. This mission of information justifies that they benefit from special protection. The new Convention would contain reinforced obligations for the states and the warring factions, for instance the obligation to make an inquiry, to prosecute those responsible and to give compensations to the victims. It could offer new guarantees for the access to information.

Furthermore, humanitarian law is limited to armed conflicts. It doesnot concern other dangerous situations for journalists, i.e internal conflicts,civil unrest and violent manifestations in which journalists also need tobe identified, recognised and protected. Many journalists are attacked becausethey write about crime and corruption. There is also a need to identifyand protect them in big natural disasters.

*Will the fact of wearing a press emblem increase the targeting of journalists?

This is the argument which is the most frequently put forward against apress emblem. It is not valid for several reasons. First, journalists in zones offighting and violence generally already wear a form of emblem, an armband or flak jacket with the word press, or they put big indications on their vehicles to distinguish themselves from the combatants. Why would they do this if they thought they would be more easily targeted? They believe, in a majority of cases, that showing their profession of journalist is a guarantee for not being mixed up with combatants and for being respected. In many contexts, it is recommended for journalists to identify themselves as media, with a valid press card.

However, those armbands and distinctive self-made signs have no legal value.They are not harmonized. They are not internationally acknowledged. A harmonized and internationally acknowledged press emblem would have the advantage of reinforcing the legal protectionof journalists. There would be less risks of confusion with other social actors on the ground.

In numerous cases, journalists have been killed, injured or attacked becausetheir identity was not clear: they were mistaken with gunmen or militaryforces or wrongly perceived to be a threat or a spy. We can reduce the probability to be mistaken with a military target by avoiding looking like one: a camera can appear as a weapon if the journalists is close to a strategic target.If such an "incident" happens, it will no longer be possible to say: "Wedidn't know that X was a journalist" - if we are wearing a press emblem.Of course, there are also cases where journalists are intentionally targeted.We cannot avoid this - but we can fight against the impunity which is thegeneral rule, if there are more severe legal consequences for those responsiblefor such acts.

*Will the emblem be compulsory?

If we think that a press identification can attract unwanted attention,we can always conceal it - even if it is not recommended to hide one's trueprofession. If journalists believe they will feel safer without any distinctivesign, which can happen in different contexts, there will be no obligationto wear the press emblem. In cases where they do not wear the emblem,they will continue to benefit from the legal protection currently available under humanitarian law to any civilian.

*What would be the advantages for the governments?

The governments and the warring factions might be interested in identifyingbetter people working for media. When, in certain contexts, combatants no longer distinguish themselves from civilians, it is important, in orderto avoid mistakes, to recognise journalists rapidly and at a distance. It would no longer be possible to mix up a television’s camera with a bazooka.

*Who will distribute the press emblem?

The same organizations which generally give press cards to journalists,i.e the national associations of journalists. When there are no press cardsor national authority, the PEC (independant from the governments) could substitute itself for the authorities and examine individual requests. The role of the secretariat of the new international convention will be fixed in the text in order to avoid any control of the distribution of the emblems by the States. An international licensing system for the journalists by the States must absolutely be prevented.

*What will the new press emblem be like?

Professionals will have to analyze the adequate distinctive sign by takinginto account the other emblems on the ground (to distinguish it, for instance,from the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, or from the UN flag). The PEC hasproposed an emblem, coloured orange (neither red, nor blue), orange beinga very visible colour, with the word PRESS in black letters, a word whichis internationally known.

*What will be the content of the new Convention of Geneva for journalists?

The convention will be elaborated with the governments in an ad hoc groupand then adopted at a diplomatic conference, as it was done for the Ottawatreaty forbidding antipersonnel mines. The PEC will participate in the drafting simultaneously with a representative group of journalist's associationsand media.